Passing the Reins
by potentialauthor18
Summary: Original title I know. It's been 10 years after Asura got punched in the face. Life has been peacefull, relatively. Except now there have been reports of more enemies surfacing. Kishin, Witches, and even talk of Weapons and Meisters attacking their own. Lukily, the old heroes are here to save the wo-wait, crap no they aren't! It's up to your OC's now. Death help us. Accepting OC's!
1. Chapter 1: Leaving Home

** Alright, I'm once again starting a new story. Yeah, I know, I should stick to my other fics but I can get so easily distracted when I start watching a different anime. Before, it was Bleach, hence Bleach 11-4. Lately, it's been Soul Eater, and I just have to write a story for it now. No Soul Eater OC stories seem to be updating so I decided to write my own. I'll be accepting OC's and will also be deciding who gets paired up with who. Sound fun?**

Chapter 1: Leaving Home

It was dark, silent and in the darkness there seemed to be a feeling of warmth. Comfort. Then the alarm went off. Abruptly, the annoying sound was silenced and a sigh was heard. "Time to get up." A male voice said, slightly high but with some deeper tones mixed in, followed by the sound of sheets being carefully pushed aside.

Stepping out of his bed, Michael Raven the 5th reached down and turned on his bedside lamp, bathing his room in a dull, but adequate light. He was quite tall, nearly six and half feet, and had equally tall black hair, running smoothly down his back. His skin appeared tan in the weak light and his green eyes gazed over into the depths of his still darkened room. Shadows fell on his body, showing that he was quite muscular though his height made him come across as quite lanky and skinny.

Walking to his closet, he pushed the wooden folding doors to either side, revealing neat rows of clothes. Shirts, jackets, and pants hung from racks while gloves and silk bands rested on shelves. Beneath them, arranged in pairs, sat black dress shoes. Within moments, Michael had easily slipped into his clothes, which consisted of a matching dark blue jacket and pants, like one might find at a fancy school. Raising his throat slightly, he buttoned the jacket until it was securely wrapped around his throat. Selecting a pair of gloves and silk band, he deftly pulled them onto his hands. Then, with a swing of his head, he grabbed his hair with both hands and pulled it together until he reached within a foot of the end, there he quickly tied the headband, keeping his hair in place. Throwing the now secure ponytail behind him, he made to leave his room. Suddenly, his head jerked to the side.

The light of his lamp reflected off the door handle, which he had just begun to reach for. But, barely visible thanks to the light, a tiny speck of dust rested on the gleaming bronze. "Tch." The long haired boy allowed a corner of his mouth to drop in disapproval. "No, that won't do." Leaning down, he inspected the offending piece of grit. With a quick movement, he reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a black, silk handkerchief. Directing a corner of it with his finger, he quickly wiped the dirt away. "Better." Straightening and replacing his handkerchief in one movement, he opened the door.

Stepping into a brightly lit room, he sat down at a longer than needed table, taking a seat at one of the ends. A glistening chandelier hung above the table, upon which was set fine china, set in precise order. "I trust you slept well Michael?" On the other end of the table, a large man sat, the light shining off his glasses. He wore a deep burgundy, two piece suit, complete with a golden tie. His hair was grey and equally as long as his Michaels, though tied with a golden ribbon. His hands were in front of him, fingertips resting against another to form an arch shape. His eyes were also green, though slightly duller, though no less piercing for it.

Michael bowed his head respectably. "Yes Father. Thank you. May I inquire to how your own night faired?" The older man nodded in assent.

"You may. I slept soundly enough, though my mind has been filled with thoughts of this day. So I assume then that you are not anxious about what today may hold?" He looked intently at his son, eyes unwavering.

Michael stared right back. "Of course not Father. You have trained me for this very day and I feel prepared in every way. I promise that I will uphold the family honor and make you proud." He bowed his head again, in respect.

His father let his hands drop, mouth set in what could possibly be called a smile. "I know you will Michael. Now let us enjoy our breakfast. Then, your future awaits. Enough talk. We will speak again later."

Michael nodded, were another might have said something in response. He had great respect for his father and was raised in a strict household. When his father said enough talk, then there was simply no more to be said. He'd been trained to think before speaking, and then only if spoken to. If he felt that he absolutely needed to speak out of place, then he would request to do so, like when he asked if he could know how his father had slept. Simple questions like that, which were taken for granted in most households, were respectably asked, with the question giving his father the opportunity to decline if he did not wish, or did not care, to answer it.

Breakfast was a dish of fruit, sliced apples today, and warm biscuits served with excellent white gravy. It was a dish, among many, that Michael knew how to cook. He knew every step that came to preparing a meal. From where to buy the ingredients, the price, the preparation(of both the food, dish placement, and time), and what drink would best go with it. Taking a fork and knife in hand, he carefully cut the biscuits into bite sized bites, before he began to eat. There was no "Pass the salt" or "Nice day we're having" while they ate. Just the sounds of silver ware clinking lightly together and of quiet chewing. While such a silence would be considered awkward or uncomfortable for most people, it was something that Michael was very much use to.

When they had both finished their plates, Michael(the 4th) snapped his fingers. A serving maid walked in, grabbing the plates and utensils, bringing them to the kitchen. Next she grabbed the glasses and tea pot and went away with them as well. Throughout this, the two Raven's sat quietly, waiting for her to leave before speaking. When the table was cleared, the elder Michael stood. He was noticeably taller than his son, standing a good half foot taller. "Walk with me Son. I wish to discuss things of importance before your departure today." He then strode out to a balcony, standing with his arms behind his back. Michael obediently followed, careful to not invade his Father's space. Below them was Death City, with the smiling sun just now starting to rise into the sky.

He then stood patiently behind him, knowing his Father would call him beside him when he had gathered his thoughts. "Stand next to me. I have some last minute guidance to bestow upon you." The younger Michael stepped to his Father's side, looking pointedly ahead as his Father was.

After a few moments of silence, Michael decided that his Father wished for him to speak first, otherwise he'd would have spoken himself. "If I may, what could I need to know that you have not already taught me, Father?" He kept his voice level. It would not do if his Father thought him confused or impudent.

Sighing, his father placed his hands on the balcony railing. "It's nothing you don't already know. I just want to further impress a very important lesson upon you. Today you will be attending one of the Death Weapon Meister Academy's gatherings, were you will attempt to find a Meister that you are compatible with. A simple test of if they can wield you will do, though the decision will be theirs. Now, whether you accept them or not will be up to you. I cannot guide you after you leave here, only offer advice. You will likely be serving this person for the rest of your life. I trust you'll make the right choice. Be sure that you do not become too close to your Meister though, otherwise you will bring shame on this family, whose name has become well known because of our hard work and devotion. Now go Michael. Your belongings will be prepared to be shipped out to your Meister's home when you find one."

Michael bowed solemnly, aware that he would not be likely see his father in a long time. "Thank you for your teachings Father. I will uphold our name and do my duty as a Weapon." Without another word, he turned around and left, heading down the streets and soon entering his Father's vision as he walked towards the DWMA.

Looking down at him, his Father was pleased to see his son's confident stride, knowing he was watching him. "Make me proud son. I can only hope that you don't make the same mistakes that I did."

**Well, what did you think? I hope I didn't do too bad a job. I'm really not sure right now if I will create Michael's partner but I'm open to suggestions if someone would like to submit one. A few things that are set in stone though. His Meister has to be a girl, that is certain. I would prefer her personality to offset his own, so no emo back stories and personality please. Maybe someone with an upbeat personality who's used to a tough life or something like that. Just use your imagination. Either way, I will be accepting OC's. Yay! The form is below and I will be accepting about 2 other teams for the main teams. I will be using Michael's as an example, also so that you can better build a partner for him if that's what you want to do. Be creative! Also, please send them to me by PM. Thank you.**

Name: Michael Raven the 5th

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Meister or Weapon: Weapon

Soul Perception: (How Strong is it and how do they perceive it?) Michael has moderately strong Soul Perception and can see souls. This is because of how he easily notices the smallest speck of dirt.

Weapon Form/Abilities(Weapon form is for Weapon's only, obviously, but both can have an ability. No big deal if you don't, it's optional but just don't make it to op. No Meister/Weapon or Black Blood please.) Michael's weapon form is a large flamberge with gold cross guards and a gold hilt. The blade is blackened steel with a silver edge. It has an oversized, diamond shaped tip. When he fights his right leg turns into the sword blade. He is constantly changing in-between his human leg and weaponized leg during a fight. At times, Michael can lengthen the blade to impressive lengths, though it drains him to constantly do so.

Fighting ability: (Rate from 1-10 *'s. One to three is poor or nonexistent, four to five is average, six to eight is very skilled, and nine and ten is expert. Keep in mind, most weapons won't be particularly skilled in this area. Plus, no OC will have 10 *'s. Only when a Meister and Weapon fight as one will they get that strong, and they still might be an eight or nine. Please be reasonable. I know I can't talk, but Michael is supposed to be an Autonomous Weapon, at least in fighting ability.) ******

Quirk: (They have to have something that makes them funny/weak) Neat freak. Michael can't stand dirt and as such keeps everything clean. Even in the middle of a fight, he'll want to clean dust off of himself. As such, he always insist that his Meister shower/bathe after a battle. This can sometimes lead to embarrassing moments but he does his best to be professional about it.

Personality: Michael acts pretty much like a butler/bodyguard to his Meister and his personality reflects that. He irons the clothes, cooks the food, cleans the house, and whatever else is required of him. He is polite when it's called for but he otherwise tries to be emotionless. He will do practically anything his Meister asks of him, no matter how strange. He does harbor feelings for his Meister but does his best to hide them. He can't stand people making advances on his Meister and will often respond violently. He is overprotective, easily jealous, and uncomfortable discussing his feelings. He is also a neat freak. He insist that his Meister shower and/or bathe and will remove the tiniest speck of dust from his own person(say, after or in the middle of a fight). He always carries a silk tissue, though sometimes it's inadequate. He will also fight on his Meister's behalf, if he deems the opponent unworthy of her skills...or he's feeling more protective than usual. This often irritates his Meister, but he truly cares for her. Whenever he has the time, Michael occasionally indulges himself by listening to music. Since he generally doesn't voice his feelings this is a good way for him to think in himself. He acts like nudity doesn't affect him, but can become suitably embarrassed if this happens. He'll do his best to ignore it but he is a young man. He won't stand to have someone else view his Meister if she is in such a state. If this happens, he tends to break things...namely the viewing party.

Appearance/Outfits: Tall(6'5") and comes across as somewhat lanky because of his height, Michael is actually quite muscular, he has emerald green eyes, white skin, and black hair. His hair is long and smooth, falling past his midsection and tied into simple ponytail near the bottom with a blue silk ribbon. He rarely shows emotion and his clothes are always impeccably clean. A white, buttoned up shirt and a dark blue school jacket with golden buttons, likewise buttoned up to his throat. He has matching slacks and black dress shoes. He also wears a pair of black gloves. He sleeps in his underwear and has a pair of dark blue swim trunks with a black stripe going down one leg.

History: (Let's try not to make it to dark here okay? No child abuse, killed parents, blah blah. There can be death but don't overdo it please. Maybe that's why your bubbly character has a serious/sad side once in a while? This doesn't have to be extensive if it doesn't affect your OC that much. If they had a pretty normal past, then a few sentences should suffice.) He was trained by his Father to treat his Meister this way . To put their desires, needs, comfort, and life above his own. His family are known for being weapons of this quality(as they like to put it) and are very proud of the name they've made for themselves. He was taught many valuable skills to be of more use to his Meister. Examples are a skilled fighter, knowledgeable(he studies so that his Meister will have access to this whenever it is needed), loyal to a fault, and an excellent cook.

Likes: Fighting for his Meister, listening to music, cooking, and whenever his Meister is happy.

Dislikes: Pursuers of his Meister's affections, dirt, Kishin, witches, and his feelings that he has for his Meister(it honestly scares him sometimes)

List A Secret This Character Has: Michael finds himself developing feelings for his Meister which he deems unprofessional and a right pain in the ass.

Theme song(s): (Just for fun and it'll help me think of how your character thinks or how you think of them.) Changes-Three Doors Down, Breaking the Habit-Linkin Park, Courtesy Call-Thousand Foot Krutch, Satellite-Rise Against, and Not Gonna Die-Skillet.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to DWMA! pt1

**Alright, first I'm going to apologize in advance for how short this chapter is. But I really liked how I ended it and other reasons that are explained at the end. Our first reader submitted OC makes an appearance in this chapter and she's a real firecracker. *Bam!* Ouch, sorry, she just hit me in the head. What I meant to say is that she's a grenade. *Flinch* Ah! Alright, a fucking grenade! Please don't hit me! Warning: Rated T for a reason, as you've just found out. Enjoy and keep them OC's coming!**

Chapter 2: Welcome to Demon Weapon Meister Academy! (Part 1)

"If I was to guess, this is the right place." A tall boy with, long black hair said to himself. He inspected the rather impressive structure before him, one hand under his chin. It was far larger than his Father's mansion, though perhaps a bit...flashy for his tastes.

Aside from the needlessly large stairway, three huge skulls made the first archway. Out of the foremost of these rose three, large, red spikes that sprouted from the white formations eyes and nose. There were ten towers, each with red conical roofs, white bands overlapping each one and the same almost comical skull design resting on all of them. Perhaps the oddest features were the four gargantuan candles that jutted out from the shortest of the towers. Though he now believed that there might be twelve towers, since two of the candles were jutting out from behind the enormous structure. "Perhaps there are merely two sides to the smallest towers? Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. It's still rather impressive architecture. Though how they got those three black orbs to float above it is beyond me."

With that, Michael put his hands into his pockets and began to climb the mountain of steps, which were occupied by dozens of students and weapons, though still leaving more than enough room for him to walk unhindered.

Walking up to the registry office, which was a white desk in the shape of the skulls he kept seeing, Michael answered the rather plump ladies question that he was a weapon. She smiled and handed him a tag labeled simply 'W'. Michael wondered about that. "May I ask why it simply says 'W' instead of reading 'Weapon' ?" he questioned.

The lady nodded. "Oh my, you're very polite! But yes, you see the letter 'W' is symmetrical while the word 'Weapon' is not. Likewise, the Meister wear tags with 'M' since it is also symmetrical. It's a bit of an obsession with our Leader."

"Thank you for answering my question. Have a-" As he was turning to walk away, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a line of dust that had obviously been missed when the desk was last cleaned. Grabbing his trusty handkerchief like he was drawing a sword, Michael swung his hand across the desk, leaving no trace of the dust behind. "You should be ashamed of yourself." With a disapproving glare, he walked with heavy steps towards the main room.

"I should-I-but it was just-huh?" The poor receptionist seemed more confused than offended.

As there were still many students who needed nametags, it wasn't too long until someone interrupted her confused thoughts. "Shouldn't you be doing your job? Freaking hell lady I ain't gonna stand here all day. Give me a damn nametag already so I can find a Weapon worth my time. The last few gatherings have been pretty damn pathetic, to say the least." A rather rude girl's voice brought her attention back to the here and now.

The receptionist groaned inwardly. _Why is it always my shift when Hazel decides to come to a gathering?_ Turning around, her fears were confirmed. An athletic looking girl of average height with long auburn hair stood in front of the desk, one hand placed forcefully on the desktop, the other impatiently on her left hip. Her reddish brown eyes were in that all too familiar glare that dared you to look back. Hazel was in her regular attire, the receptionist had never seen her in anything else, which consisted of a loose fitting spaghetti strap tank top. Over this was her red sweater which was hanging off her shoulders, obviously too big for her. The first time she'd seen her, the receptionist had made a comment about how a lady should dress. It was not one of her fondest memories. Strands of Hazel's hair had fallen in front of her eyes and she angrily pushed it out of the way with her left hand, revealing a black snake tattoo coiled around her bicep. The receptionist was repulsed to see that there was an _eye_ in the things mouth. _How utterly gruesome!_ She shivered to herself.

The red haired girl smacked her hand on the desk suddenly, impatient. "Fuck! How many times do I gotta ask for a stinking badge?" She held up two fingers in the older woman's face, causing her to lean back. "That's two strikes. One more and you're out. Got it?"

Shaking, the poor woman quickly tossed her a Meister Badge, which Hazel effortlessly snatched out of the air. "Now that's more like it. Later biatch, I'm gonna find a weapon this time or we're going to have this same old conversation next year." Then she sauntered off, hips swinging to side as she swung her badge on a finger. Her olive green cargo pants swung with them and the loud *thuds* of her combat boots reverberated through the hall.

The receptionist breathed a visible sigh of relief. "I wish you the best of luck Miss Becker!"

"Bite me." Was her answer, along with a rather rude gesture thrown over her head that required a license to fly.

**Again, I know this is a short chapter but I really don't want to push much farther without receiving more OC's. Hazel Becker, submitted most admirably by TheWalkingGnome, is my choice as Michael's partner. I apologize for those that were not accepted but I believe her personality would fit the best. Now, I'm still accepting OC's for the other 2 teams(Perhaps another 1 if I get enough good ones) and fear not! Those of you who have submitted OC's already will be glad to hear that if I receive one that I think fits one of yours, they will be paired up. So don't give up hope! But, since most of you sent an OC that seemed to be leaning towards being Michael's partner, feel free to submit another if you are so inclined. Try to make their personality huge! This makes it easier for me to write them and keeps in with the rather ridiculous feeling of Soul Eater. Until tomorrow(If I receive more OC's)! Also, since I've recieved to many Meisters, I would suggest sending in some Weapons now. If you're absolutely set on sending a Meister, go ahead. I haven't decided on either of the two teams and I have two OCs, one a Weapon the other a Meister that I'm considering. No promises right now but I'm just looking at what I've been sent. **


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to DWMA! pt2

**Alright guys, sorry for the late update but it was a busy week and half. I appreciate the reviews that I've received and glad that people seem to be enjoying this story. This chapter features two new OC's, who I will give proper credit to at the bottom. **

Chapter 3: Welcome to the DWMA (pt 2)

*Knock knock knock* "Anise? You're not still sleeping are you?" A woman's muffled voice sounded through a wooden door.

When no answer was forthcoming, the woman slowly opened the door, allowing light to flood into the room. The column of light fell onto a messy bed, with the covers thrown this way and that, and generally looking like a tornado had gone off in the room. The woman's shadow rose across the floor as she took a step into the room. "Huh, I guess she's already gone out. I swear, I always feel two steps behind that girl. Perk of being young I suppose." With that she closed the door, having no doubt that her daughter was already at least halfway to the DWMA.

Actually, she was already at the steps. A slightly short girl, around 5'3", was standing before the first step, one hand shielding her amber eyes from the morning sun. Her long, chocolate brown hair was pulled up into a high, messy ponytail, a couple of wilder strands sticking out and framing her face. A noticeable dimple decorated her right cheek. Her bangs were swept to one side and fell to her chest, which was covered by a beige sweater, sleeves loose. Under that was a white button up shirt with the collar peeking out from the sweat shirt, both of which fell over the waist line of her black shorts. Climbing on her pale legs were knee high socks and finishing her outfit was a pair of brown loafers. Judging by the worn down treads, they hadn't been doing much loafing lately.

Suddenly, as if her power had been switched on, the girl drew her arms in front of her, pulling her sleeves to the elbows. "Oooohhhh, just look at this place! All the new people, places to discover, all the new smells….*sniff sniff*." At her last word, she abruptly pointed her nose at a passing boy who looked deep in thought, the small digit twitching slightly. "Hmm..." He stopped thinking after he noticed her stare, a question in his forest green eyes. "…you smell funny."

Not sure how to respond to that, the boy kept walking. "And that's not weird at all. Just keep walking Shen, ignore the weird sniffing girl." The boy's name was Ma Shen and he was surprisingly tall for a Chinese guy, which was evident by the shape of his green eyes, skin tone, and black hair which was quite short and shaggy, as if he'd just rolled out of bed. He stood just over six feet tall and had fairly broad shoulders, suggesting that he was well built. Shen wore a green T-shirt with a hooded jacket, where his hands were currently resting in his pockets, black cargo pants and converse sneakers of the same color. Rather classic teenager garb really.

Around his throat was a necklace with the yin yang symbol on it. Finally, as if to complete his laid back teenager apparel, was a pair of green headphones that fell on either side of his necklace, with the cord leading down to his right shorts pocket. Out of them, Anise heard what sounded like The Rolling Stones. "Weird? Talk about weird, you're talking to yourself! Then again, I talk to myself all the time; I find that it's a nice way to bounce ideas around. So, are you a student here? You a Weapon? You a Meister? Do you like green? It looks like you like green cause your shirt and headphones are green. Hey, is that a yin yang necklace? Oh, where did you get it?"

Halting his steps, Shen stared at her blankly, a bit overwhelmed by the flow of questions. Since she had finally stopped talking after the last question and was looking at him with shining eyes, he figured he might have time to actually answer some of her questions. "Uh, yeah I'm a student here. See the nametag? It's an 'M' so I'm a Meister. I guess green would be my favorite color but I've never actually thought about it. Yes, this is a yin yang necklace and as to where I got it, well, from China." He raised an eyebrow and if one could recline while standing, he was doing it. "I believe that answers all your questions?"

The brown haired girl thought about it for a second. Literally, one second, that's it. "Uh, yep!" She put her hands behind her head, smiling brightly at him. "I do have two more questions for you though. That okay?"

The tall boy made an effort to appear shocked. "Really, only two more questions? Geez, I guess you used most of them in one go."

Anise giggled, rocking her head back and forth. "Hehe, guess I did! Now, first question. Why did you answer all my questions when you said you were gonna ignore me?"

Shen shrugged. "Oh, that. I forgot."

"….I see. You just…forgot?" She looked at him quizzically.

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Yep."

A short silence fell on them. A really short one, cause Anise wasn't one for silence. "Okay. Next question. You said you were a Meister. I'm a Weapon and I was wondering if you would like to try and see if we're compatible? You look pretty strong and my form would usually require someone with long arms and height. So whaddya say?" She leaned forward eagerly, hands behind her back, eyes shut in glee.

Shen leaned back, feeling that his space was being rather cheerfully invaded. "While I greatly appreciate the offer, I couldn't help but notice that you don't have a badge. You have to go register and get a badge first."

She opened her amber drop eyes and cocked her head sideways. "Really? Well then, I'll be right back." She turned around to the school but then stopped, head turning towards him. Pouting her cheeks, Anise motioned with her hands quite dramatically to stay. "You. Stay." With that, she blasted towards the school, leaving a dust cloud behind her.

Shen coughed and waved the air in front of him with a hand. *cough cough* "Man, she's certainly energetic. I don't know if I could keep up with someone like that." He shrugged. "Ah hell, nobody else has even talked to me yet, I might as well see how this pans out. If it turns out I can't stand her, I can always just quit." With that he walked in front of a tree, relaxing with his back to it, enjoying the shade.

Sighing, he looked down, not really staring at anything in particular. Within seconds, the energetic one ran up to him, slowing slightly as she noticed his solemn expression. "Hey, you alright?" When he didn't answer, she walked over and stood in front of him, snapping her fingers. "Hey! Earth to-hey, I didn't even get your name! Mine's Anise Rose."

Coming back to the present, Shen blinked, clearing his eyes. "Huh, what? Oh…you grabbed a Meister badge."

Following his eyes, Anise realized that she did in fact grab the wrong type of badge. She grinned. "Well I'll be, you're right!" Frowning, she grabbed the badge then turned it upside down. "There! All fixed." She smiled at him, quite pleased with herself.

Shen stared at her. "Well, I guess it would be a waste of time to just run back there and grab a correct one right?"

The short girl nodded, bouncing up and down like she was about to explode. Which she did, vocally, of course. "Alright, no more waiting! Let's just do it!" With that, she grabbed his hands out of his pockets, shocking Shen out of his relaxed posture.

"Woah there, couldn't we at least give it a little thought?" His pleas were ignored as Anise was covered in a golden light, nearly blinding him. Shen groaned and closed his eyes in irritation. He didn't much care for bright lights like this. When the light stopped searing his eyelids, he tentatively opened them, looking for the first time at Anise's weapon form.

The long handle was light brown wood, with a black fabric grip under the golden cross guard. The blade was reminiscent of a katana blade, but was slightly wider and more curved. _Well, you just gonna sit there staring at me or are you going to put me to the test?_ Shen nearly dropped her as he remembered that he was holding a person here. "Oops, sorry about that. I forgot."

The weapon sighed. _You have a terrible memory. Did you fall on your head as a kid? _Shen ignored her. "Alright, let's start slow." Eyes half closed, he ran his right hand down the haft of the spear-like weapon, focusing on the blade of the weapon. Pushing on the back of the naginata, Shen moved the blade up slowly, turning it ever so slightly so that the dangerous side was pointing up. He then pulled the staff towards him, pushing the opposite direction with his left hand. The blade glistened gently in shade of the tree, revealing Anise unclothed from the shoulder up, hands raised in impatience. _What do you plan on fighting so slow like that? I said put me to the test, not hold me like a fragile object!_

While he would've liked to respond in kind, Shen had decided that he quite agreed with her. Suddenly, his green eyes snapped open. "Very well." With both smooth and abrupt movements, he began to swing Anise around in increasingly quicker combos, the whole time his feet sliding across the ground, a web of steel and weaving around him. After a dizzying complex movement Shen swung the demon weapon in a wide arch, the shaft of the weapon in line with his outstretched arms. With a flick of his wrist, he slid the weapon's handle into his left hand, letting go of it with his right as to not impede its progress. Grabbing near the very end of it, he swung Anise in a vicious, far reaching slash. With the blade of the weapon screaming towards the ground, literally; Anise was screaming at this point, his right hand dropped down and deftly grabbed the handle, with the blade screeching to a stop a few inches above the earth.

Calmly releasing a breath, Shen set the weapon hilt down beside him, seeming quite pleased. In a golden flash, Anise was standing beside him. "Holy cow! Where in Death's name did you learn to fight like that?" Her amber eyes were alight with exhilaration and it was obvious that her screams from earlier were from excitement.

Shen shrugged. "My family's from China. I trained with the guan dao, the two weapons are very similar." He seemed to have lost his feeling of pleasure, his recent grin now a downcast frown.

Anise looked at him in false anger. "Oh no you don't! You are not going all emo on me again! Cheer up! Smile! You found a weapon partner and it turns out you can use her pretty well!"

He looked at her, his face askance and a small blush appearing below his eyes. "I'm sure there's a better way of putting it than that."

The short girl cocked her head, chocolate colored bangs falling to one side. "What's wrong with that way?"

An awkward silence stretched between them. Luckily, with Anise, such things just don't last. "Well whatever! I still didn't catch your name!" She looked at him eagerly and he briefly wondered if she'd had a bowl of sugar for breakfast.

"Of course, sorry about that. Must've slipped my mind. My name is Ma Shen. A pleasure to meet you…?"

Amber eyes looked up at him in annoyance. "Really? Don't tell me you forgot again?"

Awkward silence time. *Crash!* Awkward silence successfully broken by Anise. "It's Anise! Got it? I told you when you were spacing out! Anise Rose!"

She stormed off, heading for the DWMA, leaving Shen to follow. "So sorry. I just forget things sometimes."

Anise huffed and looked at him over her shoulder. "Alright, I forgive you. Just don't forget how to fight when you need to, that clear?"

He nodded, placing his hands back into his jacket's pockets. "Crystal."

Anise groaned. "No, it's not Crystal, you didn't just forget my name again!" She stepped faster, forcing him to walk faster just to keep up, despite his longer legs.

"Anise, it's not like that. It's a figure of speech!"

**Alright, I hope that wasn't too bad. Sorry about the wait guys, but I was busy for a little while. Good news, I got myself a laptop so updates should come slightly quicker. I'll probably write most of them at home then go to a place with internet and post them. Thanks to the creators of Anise Rose(submitted by tealcloud) and Ma Shen(submitted by Dynasty56) for your wonderful OC's. Special thanks to tealcloud for agreeing to some important changes to her OC. Please let me know if I did a good job in presenting your OC's, I'd be extremely pissed at myself if I didn't. Reviews appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to DWMA! pt3

**Sorry for the wait guys, I've been a bit busy. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and that I did the new OC justice. Our newest OC was submitted by Aaron26 and is still in need of a partner. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Welcome to the DWMA! (part 3)

"This is turning out to be far more difficult than I had anticipated." A rather tall teen commented to himself, resting one hand below his chin, supporting the arm with his other hand. He was standing on the topmost step of the DWMA, surveying the various students who had forgone the comparatively cramped main room for the fresh air of the schools rather impressive grounds.

Passing over several students that didn't seem to interest him, his emerald eyes rested on a boy almost as tall as him, digging through a row of bushes in front of him. The boy wore a black, hooded jacket and black cargo pants. The hood was currently down, showing his ragged, black hair. He seemed quite frantic in his search.

Preparing himself, Michael concentrated his soul, focusing it on the boy in front of him. "Soul Perception." He said under his breath. Then, suddenly, he could see the boy's soul. Right away, he could tell it was a Meister's soul. It was rather impressive, large enough to completely cover him, regardless of his height and broad shoulders. The soul was green in color, like a tree's leaves, and the design of a yin yang symbol could be seen. "What could that mean?" He thought to himself.

Raising his shoulders in a barely perceptible shrug, he allowed his hands to drop to his sides. Taking, smooth, long steps, Michael glided down the steps. "Excuse me. May I have a word with you sir?" He called out as he reached a distance of mere feet, stopping a respectable distance away.

Hearing a voice, Shen glanced over his shoulder to see if he was the one being addressed. A boy, wearing a matching blue button up shirt and pants stood in front of him, arms held down to his sides. _He's tall. Taller than me._ Shen thought to himself. While it wasn't all too important, Shen had become rather used to being taller than most people. He also noted that this stranger had very long, black hair and he could see that it dropped almost past his waist.

The boy dropped his chin as a silent sign that he was still awaiting an answer. Shen realized that he'd forgotten what he'd been asked. Putting his hands into his pockets, he shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry. Was there something you needed?"

Not seeming the least bit upset, the tall boy spoke back. "There is no need to apologize. My name is Michael Raven the 5th and I noticed that you had a rather impressive soul compared to many of the students here. I would merely like to ask if you would care to test our compatibility."

Grinning, Shen took a hand out of his pocket and put it behind his head. "Nice to meet you Michael. My name is Ma Shen. Well, while I certainly wouldn't mind, I'm afraid that you're a bit too late. I've already paired up with a weapon."

Michael was silent for a moment. "I see. Well, I apologize for asking such an awkward question then." Shen expected to see some disappointment on his face but the boy revealed nothing.

Grinning again, he turned the boy's earlier statement back on him. "There is no need to apologize. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're having trouble finding a Meister?"

Allowing a small frown to show itself, Michael shook his head slightly. "Not exactly. While I've found plenty of Meisters, none but you have yet to meet my standards. I am looking for a strong soul and no average Meister will do." He sighed. "It is a minor setback, but not one that can't be overcome."

Shen frowned back. "Well, that's a bit harsh. Perhaps you've set to high of standards?"

Closing his eyes momentarily, Michael considered it. "Perhaps, but I will only accept the strongest Meister that I can find. Anything less than that would be completely unacceptable."

Shen thought about that. "So I take it you've been looking at individual souls, searching for strong ones?"

Michael nodded. "You are correct, Ma Shen."

Shen now put both hands behind his head, stretching. "Well there's your problem! There are so many students here that it'd take forever to find the best out of them. You need someone who can look at multiple souls in a large area. That would speed up the process by tenfold."

The tall boy stared at him. "It certainly would not take forever, perhaps an hour or two, and I would not stop until I found one…but your plan would certainly help. Do you know of someone that would be able to help me?"

Raising an eyebrow, Shen popped his neck. "That would be me. But before we do that, I'd appreciate it if you helped me find my Weapon. I don't want to let her wander off any more than she already has."

This time, it was Michael's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon Shen, but are you telling me that you've lost your Weapon?"

Shen adopted a rather embarrassed face. "Eh, not exactly. She just said she smelled something and took off. Anise may be shorter than me but she always seems to be two steps ahead of me. We'd just finished registering too, so I thought this day would be about over."

Michael nodded, as if someone saying they smelled something and ran away was perfectly normal. "It appears that I'll have to use a bit of my time to help you find this Miss Anise. Tell me, why can't you simply find her with your Soul Perception?"

"She's out of my range and I can't pinpoint her. With two people searching for her, we're bound to find her in no time."

Giving Michael a quick description, the two set about finding the missing Weapon. A task easier said than done, as they soon found out.

Pulling up in front of the DWMA, a yellow cab with one dead headlight screeched to a stop. A giggling boy sat in the back seat, hands above his spikey blonde hair as if he'd just finished riding a roller coaster. His hair certainly made it look like he'd been doing so, as it seemed to be permanently blown backwards. A huge smile dominated his features but couldn't completely overcome the electric blue eyes that stood out on his tan skin.

The boy appeared slightly athletic, given the blue track jacket that he wore on his slight shoulders, yellow bands encircling the collar and cuffs. Underneath the unzipped jacket, he had a black t-shirt and a necklace, decorated with white, square stones. The clothes were obviously for someone larger than himself, as were the khaki shorts that were almost pants for him. The shorts were held up with a simple grey belt and a candy bar could be seen poking out from one of the pockets.

Barely visible under the shorts were long, black socks. The boy also wore a pair of simple white and red tennis shoes, which were currently swinging up in down as he finished the "ride". "That was great! I can't believe you got me so fast here Archie!" He beamed up at the driver, who had tan skin, short black hair, and a lollipop sticking out of his mouth. He had one hand resting on the vehicles shifter, the other readjusting the mirror to look back at his enthusiastic passenger.

"Course we did, when you're offering a job like this, a guy can't refuse. The sweet down payment wasn't too bad either." He grinned, the lollipop sticking out to the side. Now, I think it's time to complete our little transaction and then we'll part ways. Whaddya say, Mister Christian?" By this time, Mister Christian had already exited the car and was staring up at the impressive building in awe.

Looking back, the boy nodded, reaching into his pockets. "I told you Archie, call me Abbot. But don't worry; I've got plenty left to pay you with."

Archie raised an eyebrow, lollipop drooping as he was presented with a rather large handful of assorted sweets. "Uhh, not to be impolite but I was under the impression that you had cash?"

Abbot nodded enthusiastically, pushing the candy into Archie's reluctant arms. "Yeah, I did. But I got hungry and bought all this candy at our pit stop. I paid for it so it should be worth the same as the money, right?"

Before he could answer, it was gonna be no if you couldn't guess, a girl in a beige sweater exploded from the bushes beside them. She was short, but still almost half a foot taller than Abbot, and her amber eyes were bright with excitement. Sniffing her nose slightly, the brown haired girl eyed them both. "I thought I smelled something sweet!" She said victoriously, pointing at the pile of candy.

They both stared at her, then Abbot turned towards her. "Hehe, you're funny. Did you want some candy?" He turned towards the still confused taxi driver. "Hey Archie, is it okay if she has some of your candy?"

Looking back to the short blonde, Archie groaned. "Well, it's not really my candy, kid. I'm afraid this isn't gonna cover the cost of driving you here and make me some cash. You might want to ask the school if they'd pay for your ride." Chuckling, he dropped the sweets back into Abbot's arms. "So yeah, she can as much as she wants. Except this." Grabbing a large lollipop, Archie tossed it into his glove box. "My lollipop."

Abbot grinned. "Hey, thanks Archie! You're funny you know that?" Turning back towards the girl, he quickly realized that she was a lot closer than she was before, sniffing him curiously. "Ahhhhhhhh!" He yelled, throwing his candy into the air.

Ignoring his surprise, the girl grabbed one of his cheeks and squeezed it. "Hey kid! You're a real cutie you know that? My name's Anise. Did you know you're real short? You're even shorter than me and I'm pretty short. How old are ya? You come here on accident or do you plan to try and find a Meister? I can tell from your smell that you're a Weapon like me. So, why don't ya stop yelling and answer Anise's questions kay?" Candy bounced off their heads and Abbot stopped yelling as his surprise wore off.

Blinking twice, he tried to process the flow of questions that swept over him. "Uh, could you maybe repeat those? You kind of scared me for a second that there and I wasn't really paying to much attention."

She giggled. "Oh, you sound so young and sweet! Maybe I should just eat you instead of the candy?" A mischievous smirk covered her face and it seemed to Abbot that her eyes began to glow with a scary light.

He took a few steps back and grabbed a large candy bar, offering it to her as if she were a rather scary dog. "N-no! Here, there's a lot more candy and I definitely don't taste sweet! Please don't eat me!" He all but screamed the last part, catching the attention of two boys who were digging through the bushes.

The shorter of the two, though both were quite tall, pointed in his direction. "There she is. What has she gotten into now?"

The taller one followed quietly, surveying the interesting scene with deep, green eyes. "It appears she's taking candy from a child."

"Geez kid, I was only kidding. I ain't gonna eat ya. Kids give me indigestion." Anise smiled at him, which didn't serve to ease his fears.

Walking behind the kneeling girl, Shen grabbed her put a hand on her shoulder. "Okay Anise, if we're going to be partners, you can't just run off like that. What if you found something more dangerous than a kid?"

Anise pouted at him, standing up. "Oh, relax Shen. As if I'd find something dangerous around here." Then she pointed towards the short boy, who still had a couple pieces of candy stuck in his hair. "But look what I found! Isn't he cute? What's your name kid? You know those blue eyes are just ador-" She was cut off as Shen wearily put a hand over her mouth.

"I apologize for Anise. She can be quite a handful, something I'm beginning to notice already." He smiled warmly, while Anise glared up at him.

The boy heaved a sigh of relief and then smiled back. "It's alright. So long as she doesn't eat me."

Shen cocked his head in confusion and looked down at his captive. "So long as-Oww!" He stopped midsentence as she bit one of his fingers and quickly withdrew his hand. "What in the name of Death was that for!?"

Anise stepped away from him and laughed. "I was just joking with him. I ain't a cannibal!"

Shen looked at the bite marks on his finger and groaned. "You're doing a very poor job of convincing me of that."

"Ahem." A quiet but firm voice said from behind them. Looking back, Shen remembered that Michael was with them. "Oh yeah, Anise, this is Michael Raven. Michael, meet Anise." He snickered. "Who apparently is a cannibal."

Jumping past Shen, Anise bounced around Michael, nose twitching as she inspected him. "Dang, this dude's taller than you are Shen! So Michael, whatcha helping my Meister for?"

Looking down at this strange, pale girl, Michael refrained from commenting on the hit on his height. It was not in his nature to talk back in kind. "A pleasure to meet you Miss Rose. I was assisting your Meister in finding you that way he could in turn help me find a strong Meister. Now that you've been found, I believe that we should be moving on. If you'd please."

Leaning back towards Shen, Anise put her hand in front of her mouth and whispered in a not so quiet voice. "Geez, guy sure is a stiff isn't he?"

Shen decided not to answer that. "I guess we should. It's only fair."

Running behind the staring form of Abbot, Anise pointed down at him. "Alright, sounds like fun! But can we bring the kid? He's so sweet!"

Not to be forgotten, Archie leaned further out of his window. "Hey, hold on a moment! One of you kids is gonna have to tell the school that they need to pay me for bringing the kid here. He doesn't have any cash to pay me with."

Stepping forward, Michael reached into his pocket. "That won't be necessary. How much does-" He glanced over at the boy.

"Abbot. Abbot Christian." He said, wondering what he was up to.

"-Mister Abbot Christian owe you? I'd be more than happy to pay you for your trouble, just so we can get to finding my Meister and not waste any more time."

Archie looked surprised for a second but then went to figuring out how much he was due. "Well, I drove him from the edge of Death City, so I'd make that forty bucks, considering I could've already gotten another car by now."

Nodding, Michael withdrew two twenty dollar bills and passed them to Archie. "That sounds fair. Now, let us be off. I do not wish to waste any more time." With a screeching of tires, the cab drove away, Archie's hand waving nonchalantly out the window.

"Good luck kid!"

The three teenagers walked past Abbot, who was staring after Michael with an unwavering gaze. Looking down at him, Michael paused. "Just one moment." Kneeling down, he quickly and efficiently removed the few pieces of candy from Abbot's hair. "Much better." Standing back up, he began to walk away.

Suddenly, Abbot ran after him and tapped him on the arm, struggling to keep up with his long strides. "Hey, hey, hey! Why did you pay for me? And why did you clean up my hair?" He seemed perplexed and oddly, looked like he was about to cry.

Michael glanced down at him, not breaking his pace. "Simple really. Paying myself was the quickest way. As for your hair, well-" He grinned, his eyes closing, "it's just a habit of mine. Plus, it's always nice to do something like that. Think nothing of it."

Looking at him in shock, Abbot's smile came back full force. "Well, I think you're a good person. I can tell stuff like that. That and if they're strong or not. Do you want to be my brother?" He said the last sentence without hesitation, wondering why Michael flinched as he looked back.

"Excuse me? Would you mind to much telling me why you would suddenly ask a stranger if he would like to be your brother?" He seemed a bit surprised that Abbot would ask such a strange question.

Abbot nodded. "Of course! You see, I don't have any family of my own and I'm trying to find some. To me, family is someone that cares about you and you care back. It doesn't matter if we're not actually related. So, what do you say?"

About to say no without a second thought, Michael looked back down at the boy by his side. Those blue eyes gazed back up with him, practically shining with hope. Sighing, he closed his eyes. "I guess it couldn't hurt. Though you wouldn't legitimately be my brother, I'm sure-" He was stopped midsentence as Abbot jumped onto his back, hugging him with surprising strength.

"Yaayyyy! I've got a brother! Let's find you a Meister brother!" Managing to take the boy off of him, Michael set him back by his side. He couldn't, however, remove Abbot's hand from his own.

"Please ask next time you do something like that."

Anise squealed with delight at the sight behind her. "Oh, that was just too cute! I think I'm gonna get a cavity!"

Shen smiled good naturedly. "Well, it is kind of sweet. Now what were we looking for?"

Anise groaned. "Remind me to remind you you're an idiot sometimes."

**Well, I know that's not the best way to end it but I really just wanted to get this thing up. Plus, going any further would force me to write even more and I've been holding out on this chapter for too long anyways. Let me know what you think! So, if any of you readers would like to try and submit a partner for Abbot, I'd appreciate it. **


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